Wickford Junction station opens, service to T.F. Green Airport begins in Rhode Island

The Wickford Junction commuter rail station and the commuter line service to T.F. Green Airport in Road Island are now open for business.

The station received $59 million in federal funds, including $25 million from the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts Capital Program and more than $4 million from the Recovery Act. It will be served by 10 north- and south-bound trains on weekdays and is expected to carry as many as 1,500 riders a day. Commuters will have access to an on-site garage with bike racks and 10 charging stations for electric and hybrid electric vehicles.

The new commuter rail service extends the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's existing commuter rail service 20 miles to the state's southeastern communities, including North Kingston, Wickford and Warwick. Traveling by rail will take travelers from Wickford Junction to Providence in about 35 minutes and to Boston in less than two hours. Driving these routes at peak travel times often takes considerably longer. The project is part of the South County Commuter Rail Project, a 20-mile rail extension along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor from Providence to the South County Region.